Eastwood grad ready to Rock … and Honk
Christine Watson takes on dance captain for Drayton stage
ST. JACOBS — Christine Watson is a compact little dynamo on stage, confident and capable, which made her a good choice as dance captain for two upcoming Drayton Productions, “Honk” and “Rock of Ages.”
But what exactly does a dance captain do?
“It’s my job to maintain the artistic integrity of the show,” said Watson, noting that anything related to choreography or musical staging is her responsibility. She has to be certain the dancers are doing exactly what they are supposed to, in the right spot on stage at the right time, and everyone must maintain the same level of performance intensity.
If she’s short a dancer, the captain must reconfigure the dancers so there are no gaps and she has to watch out for any technical imperfections in performance.
And as the shows move from one theatre to the next, as happens with several Drayton musicals, Watson must ensure the show fits, big stage or little stage, the audience shouldn’t notice a difference.
“I have to reset the show to make sure it works on that stage,” she said.
Watson must do all this while dancing and keeping an eye on the chorus, which means she pretty much needs eyes in the back and at the sides of head.
“I’m performing and also scanning everyone else,” she said.
The Eastwood Collegiate integrative arts program graduate learned her dancing skills at Dimensions in Dance and, rather than pursuing further post secondary training, Watson hit the road, or rather the sea.
“After high school I worked for Royal Caribbean,” said Watson. “I ended up coming back with an injury and never went back.”
Completing tours in 2007 and 2008 on a cruise ship fed her sense of adventure and desire to perform. Back on dry land and fully recovered, Watson began auditioning for roles in musical theatre productions while working on developing her vocal and acting abilities.
If she was going to be in musical theatre, Watson needed to become a triple threat: dancing, acting and singing.
“I was terrified of singing,” she admitted.
Her first professional production was “A Chorus Line” with Rose Theatre Productions in Brampton. She has also done several shows with K-W Musical Productions as a performer and assistant choreographer, jobs that provided training for her biggest roles yet: Drayton.
Landing jobs with Drayton and being able to work and perform in her own backyard has been a blessing. And there was an unexpected bonus: she met her husband, actor Trevor Middleton, at St. Jacobs Country Playhouse while choreographing the K-W Musical Production’s “The Full Monty” in 2014.
He later proposed in the theatre following a show, and now she’s returning to that same stage as dance captain for “Rock of Ages” opening Oct. 12.
Growing up with athletic parents who were more into sports than arts, Watson was a bit of an anomaly in the family. But once they realized their daughter was serious about this dance thing, well, they embraced it wholeheartedly. Her father even joined a dad’s dance program.
It all started when she was barely more than a toddler and saw her first musical, a rather lengthy show that her parents worried would bore the child. How wrong they were.
“My parents said I sat on the edge of my seat and saw the whole thing,” she said. “I asked, ‘How old do I have to be before I can do that?’”
At seven, she was learning basic steps at Dimensions in Dance in Kitchener, where she studied for seven years.
Studio owner Kimberly Kay said that Christine was one of the hardest working, driven and passionate students she ever taught.
“As a dancer she was magic on stage,” recalled Kay. “When passion, talent and hard work come together it’s the perfect recipe for a very special performer.”
Part of that magic comes from just enjoying performance.
“I think because of KWMP, I knew musicals were something I wanted to do,” said Watson, who is also a senior choreographer with KW Glee.
Her first show with Drayton was “9 To 5” and she has gone on to perform in several productions including “Mamma Mia!” “Aladdin,” “Footloose,” “Peter Pan,” “Oliver!,” “The Wizard of Oz” and, this year, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” She has also done film, including a role as Demon Hipster Chick in the 2010’s “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.”
For Drayton’s new show, “Rock of Ages,” Watson simply took a chance and asked for the dance captain role.
“I asked the choreographer, Lisa Stevens, and she said ‘yes,’” said Watson. “She had specific ideas what she wanted from a dance captain.
“She was helpful in defining what a dance captain does.”